Sleigh



(No Model.)

S. T. BESWICK.

SLEIGH. No. 351,089. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

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UNITED STATES SAMUEL T. BESWVICK,

PATENT Frieze OF BLAIR, WVISOONSIN.

SLElGH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,089, dated October 19, 1886.

Application filed July 2, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. BESWIOK, of Blair, in the county of Trempealeau and State of l/Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sleighs, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to sleighs of different kinds, including bob-sleighs, cutters, and other sleighs or sleds for the carriage of persons or merchandise, as desired.

The invention consists in a diverging construction of the shoes or runners relatively to the line of draft, whereby certain advantages are obtained, substantially as hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents a side view of a sleigh or sled embodying my invention; Fig. 2, an inverted plan of the same, and Fig. 3 a transverse section thereof upon the linemc in Fig. 1.

A indicates a sleigh or sled body, here shown as fitted with shafts b, but which may have a single draft bar, pole, or tongue. Its runners 00 are turned up, as usual, in front, and are fitted with shoes 0 a, which may be made of any suitable metal, said runners c and shoes 0 virtually forming runners proper, B, the shoes 0 being but a covering of the base surfaces of the runners 0. These runners proper, B, or shoes 0' c, forming parts of them, are, for a port-ion of their length, of diverging construction on their sides relatively to the line of draft, or, in other words, are made of tapering width on their bases, and with shelving sides for or throughout the greater portion of theirlength, they being narrowest at their rear ends. The parts thus constructed are indicated by the letters 01 and e, the shelving sides being represented by the letters 61, and the tapering bases by the letters 6. In some cases the taper may be made from only one side of the runners proper or shoe portions thereof, instead of from or on both sides of each runner, as shown. The more forward portions, f, of the runners proper or their shoes may be made of equal width, so that their sides will be parallel with the central line of draft, instead of being askew thereto, as are the sides of the tapering base parts 6, made of lesser or varying width. If desired, however, the runners proper or their shoes may taper in width throughout the whole length of their bases, diminishing toward their rear; and the invention is not restricted to any degree of taper or point of greatest width, the description of sleigh and other conditions or circumstances making the changes here noted often desirable. Furthermore, it will be found advantageous, in many cases, to make the base line or surface oi the shoe or runner proper to taper upwardly in a backward direction throughout the whole or greater length of the side taper, as shown in Fig. 1. By this diverging or tapering construction of the runners or their shoes not only is the running friction reduced and provision made for the rear end of the sleigh to sink somewhat, and so prevent the front end from cutting the snow too deep, but the sleigh may be turned much easier, will keep to the track more readily, and hold to the road better, especially on sidings or where moving round hillsides. It will improve the road, too, by crowding out and packing the snow at the side of the road, making the outside of the track harder and firmer, and enables the sleigh to be more readly guided, as well as turned, by crowding at rear ends of the runners or shoes the sides of the road. These gains, or certain of them, will be best experienced when the snow is soft, inasmuch as runners or shoes of equal width throughout their length then ride too hard on their sides or cut the snow too deep.

The running basesurfaces of the sleigh may either be made to incline upward in a backward direction, as shown, by varying the thickness of the shoe, as in Fig. 1, or by correspondingly inclining the surface of the portion of the runner to which it is secured, or by suitably proportioning a leather or other packing, s, between the shoe and portion of the runner to which it is secured.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The shoes or base portions of the runners and of tapering width on their bottom surfaces, diminishing toward their rear ends, substantially as specified.

2. The shoes or base portions of the runners of a sleigh or sled, made with shelving sides of a sleigh or sled, made with shelving sides in a rearward direction, and constructed to 10 and of tapering width on their bottom surpresent sides which are askew to the line of faces, diminishing toward their rear ends, and draft of the sleigh or sled, substantially as with their bottom surfaces inclining upward specified. 5 in a backward direction, essentially as de- SAMUEL T BESWICK scribed.

3. In a sleigh or sled, the'combination,with Witnesses: r its body and draft devices, of runners or shoes G. A. SLY, of diminishing width on their bottom surfaces J. L. DE Bow. 

